Border-to-Border 20 Miler 19Feb94

The Border-to-Border 20 Miler was a point-to-point race run in three states (Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts), through seven towns, all in one race. Starting in the hills of Kittery, Maine runners passed through the New Hampshire villages of Portsmouth, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton and Seabrook and finished in Salisbury, Massachusetts.

The February 19, 1994 race was a memorable one for many reasons but mostly due to the incredibly warm weather on race day. Northern New England had been experiencing sub-freezing temperatures and severe wind-chills for a week leading up to race day. Miraculously, that all changed, as we were blessed with sunny mid-thirties temperatures and no wind. It was a perfect day to run 20 miles. The warm weather brought out twice as many runners as were expected which caused a logistical nightmare for the race staff as they shuttled runners from the finish area in Salisbury, MA to the start point in Kittery, ME. The extra bus trips delayed the race about an hour. Then as we lined up to begin the race, word came in that a draw-bridge near the start had gotten stuck open which added another 30 minute delay.  Once fixed the race director got us re-set and the gun went off. The course passed through historic districts, wooded areas, and salt-water marshes. We also passed numerous mansions, small cottages, surf and t-shirt shops, and finished at a crab shack. It was a true coastal experience. Instead of the usual race t-shirt, we all received ski hats which were quickly put to good use as the temperature dipped below freezing once again by the next morning.   

This race is now known as the Eastern States 20 Mile and the course remains roughly the same except for deleting the Kittery, ME portion. It now includes 2 states and six towns. If you are looking for a fast late-winter 20 miler this race is worth checking out. Next year’s race day will be March 30, 2014. The official race site is: http://www.easternstates20mile.com/